The present invention relates generally to grain drying structures and more particularly to grain drying structures and systems utilizing solar energy.
It is desirable to be able to dry grain efficiently and relatively quickly, rather than rely upon drying in the fields which often achieves varied and unpredictable results, and carries with it the risks of adverse weather conditions that may cause rot or keep the farmer from harvesting the grain as desired.
Typically, grain may be dried in silos using typical ventilation and drying arrangements with propane used to heat the drying air flow that is circulated through the grain, often accompanied by agitation. However, propane is very expensive and often serves as an economic deterrent to silo drying. Accordingly, there remains a need for solar grain drying systems that make efficient use of solar energy while being capable of continuous operation of the system as solar output varies within a treatment cycle.
Further, there is a need for grain drying equipment utilizing all the advantages of other energy sources while being adapted to be used in combination with solar heat as the source of energy.
It is also desirable to provide a silo system for use in grain drying that better maintains the temperature of the drying air so as to make the drying process more uniform and less susceptible to changes in ground temperature or other weather conditions.
The present invention represents an improvement over prior art apparatus and methods, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,919,784; 3,979,838; 4,045,880; 4,109,395; 4,169,459; 4,198,956; 4,253,244; 4,285,143; 4,368,583; 4,391,046; 4,524,528; 5,557,859; 5,028,299; 6,209,223; 6,167,638; 7,240,029; 7,461,466; 7,434,332; and 7,263,934, and in U.S. Published Patent Applications Serial Nos. 20040060250, 20040154184, 20060111035, 20060123655, 20060130357, 20070234587, and 20090094853, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. The present invention may be used in accordance with such prior art systems and methods.
The present invention addresses remaining needs in the art including the efficient use of energy in solar grain drying, and provides benefits in the form of more uniform temperature in the drying air flow.